Funding boosts polytech enrolments

NEARLY a quarter more students than last year are set to start schooling at Otago Polytechnic this month as the Dunedin tertiary school reports a rush on its 2021 classes.

While the Government’s $334 million funding package for additional tertiary education enrolments was behind the bulk of the increase, the demand covered the range of programmes, Otago Polytechnic chief executive Megan Gibbons said.

Enrolments in Targeted Training and Apprenticeships Fund programmes, those in which the costs of students of all ages who train or enter vocational education were paid, were up 60% on last year.

But doctoratelevel enrolments had also increased from 23 in 2020, to 34 so far for 2021, Dr Gibbons said.

There had been a 24.5% increase in domestic enrolments at the school compared with the same time in 2020, she said.

Firstyear domestic applications numbered 4384, of which 3297 had enrolled or been accepted.

Domestic enrolments across all years were sitting at 3944 at the start of this month.

‘‘We are looking forward to welcoming a big cohort on February 22,’’ she said. ‘‘Most programme areas will be full this year.’’

The demand ranged from construction programmes to nursing, occupational therapy, applied management, design and other areas.

Notably, the polytechnic’s culinary and cookery programmes were popular, reflecting what appeared to be a rebound in the hospitality sector, Dr Gibbons said.

Despite the demand for the skilled labour in the tech sector, places were still available in information technology programmes, she said.

International student numbers were unsurprisingly down.

Due to the closed borders the number of international enrolments had nearly halved, Dr Gibbons said.

A Southern Institute of Technology spokeswoman said overall numbers were good at the

Invercargill institute.

There were 5777 students enrolled for a total 2861.41 Equivalent Full time students (EFTS).

Domestic students had increased by more than 300 EFTS from last year to 2581.53 EFTS or 4947 students, the spokeswoman said.

Nursing, health and wellbeing, construction, automotive engineering, Te Reo, apiculture, horticulture, and photography were all in demand.

A University of Otago spokeswoman said while the university’s 2021 enrolments would not become clear until March, growth in domestic student numbers had again been forecast.

In 2020, the provisional final domestic student numbers showed 17,153 EFTS and in 2021 there were a forecast 17,301 EFTS.